Michael Frazier II just needed to keep shooting.
The junior was 0-of-5 in Tuesday’s win against Alabama, and with four seconds remaining in Florida’s 57-56 win over Arkansas on Saturday he was 2-of-9 – subpar nights for the sharpshooter that set a Gators record with 11 three-pointers in a rout of South Carolina last season.
But Frazier found ways to impact the game from inside the arc, snagging an offensive rebound from a Chris Chiozza miss and attempting a putback just before the final buzzer before the Razorbacks Alandise Harris fouled him with less than two seconds remaining in the game and Florida down just a point.
Frazier stepped up and hit two decisive free throws, and Kasey Hill stole the subsequent inbound pass, and the Gators (12-9, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) walked off the court victorious when it seemed they would crumble, as they have so often.
After Arkansas (16-5, 5-3 SEC) took an early 6-0 lead, Dorian Finney-Smith unleashed a monstrous slam dunk that was nearly identical to the game-deciding dunk in Florida’s win over the Crimson Tide on Tuesday.
Finney-Smith, who was the only Gator to score in double digits, had 16 points along with nine rebounds and four assists in another strong performance while handling the harrowing task of matching up with standout Razorback sophomore Bobby Portis. He said he wasn’t surprised that it was Frazier who saved the Gators after letting a nine-point lead slip away in the waning minutes.
“Honestly, I knew it was going in,” Finney-Smith said. “He had a tough night shooting but I told him earlier in the game he was going to make the game-winning play. He wasn’t making shots but he can affect the game in all different ways.”
Portis, averaging 18.9 points in Southeastern Conference play, had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and displayed considerable range as he hit several long-range jumpers against the Gators.
Florida coach Billy Donovan, who has called out the Gators in losses for their inconsistent play, praised the team for fighting through the adversity.
“When that has happened to these guys, when things have not gone well for them, they lose their competitive spirit,” Donovan said. “They don’t fight, they don’t battle, they don’t scratch, they don’t claw. They don’t do it. I felt like in the game, there was a couple moments when we were teetering a little bit, when we got back into that mindset. And in this game, I really felt like they battled as hard as they could.”
Frazier, who finished with six points and four rebounds, said Donovan kept reassuring him it was a long game and he just had to stay focused. Seeing the results their fight and resilience had in the win, Frazier said he hopes the team takes what they’ve learned into the remaining SEC schedule.
“We just gotta take from this game that we have to stay in it,” Frazier said. “No matter what happens, there’s a lot of runs in the game by both teams, and we stayed connected the whole time, we fought and battled and we were able to win.”
Follow Graham Hall on Twitter @Graham311
Michael Frazier II attempts the game-winning free throw to give Florida a 57-56 win against Arkansas on Saturday in the O'Connell Center.
